INDIAN ROCKS BEACH – Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue District fire commissioners have narrowed down their search for a new fire chief to two applicants who have extensive leadership experience working for fire districts.

The district received resumes or had inquiries from about 30 candidates for the position.

The two applicants are Michael Tucker, the safety program manager for the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards in Ocala, and Salvatore D’Angelo, deputy chief of fire operations and fleet for the North Naples Fire Control and Rescue District.

After interviewing the candidates Aug. 19, commissioners agreed to hold a work session to discuss their credentials further on Thursday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m., at the Indian Shores Municipal Center, 19305 Gulf. Blvd.

The new chief will succeed former Chief Robert Polk, who retired July 4 after holding the position for 3 1/2 years.

Michael Tucker

Michael Tucker has been safety program manager for the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards since May.

From 2001 to 2014 he was fire chief of the Public Safety Department for The Villages, which has more than 100,000 residents.

“I am recognized as an individual who is very consistent in my management style and expectations. I have used this approach not only with my staff, but with the citizens I have been charged to protect,” Tucker wrote in a cover letter to the district.

In 2012 he was named fire chief of the year for the Southeast Association of Fire Chiefs and in 2011 he was named fire chief of the year for the Florida Fire Chiefs Association.

Tucker wrote that he has almost 29 years of experience in emergency services.

As chief of The Villages Public Safety Department, he was responsible for administration, planning and budgeting of a seven-station department with an annual budget of $10.5 million and a $3 million “unarmed security” program.

The Villages fire service operates with 90 career personnel and more than 300 staff members.

Tucker was a captain for training at Reedy Creek Emergency Services from April 1999 to June 2011. He also has been a captain for technical services and a paramedic-firefighter for the department and has held similar positions at other departments.

At the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards, Tucker is responsible for developing and maintaining policies that reduce the incidences of firefighter employee accidents, occupational diseases and firefighter employee fatalities, among other duties.

He has been an adjunct instructor at Lake Sumter State College and the University of Florida.

Tucker has a master’s degree in public administration from Florida Gulf Coast University and a bachelor’s in business management from the University of Phoenix.

Tucker was jailed on child abuse charges in January. Sumter County sheriff’s officials accused him of knocking a teen off a bar stool and other actions at Tucker’s home in Oxford, the Daily Commercial reported in January.

In late February, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Tucker included several reference letters with his resume.

“It was my privilege to work with Chief Tucker for more than eight years,” wrote Janet Tutt, district manager of The Villages’ Community Development Districts. “Considering that the Public Safety Department is one of the most integral parts of the community, I was impressed with Chief Tucker’s leadership style, management ability and interpersonal skills.”

Salvatore A. D’Angelo III

Salvatore A. D’Angelo III has been deputy chief of fire operations and fleet for the North Naples Fire Control and Rescue District since September 2013. He is responsible for leading three battalions of 112 uniformed personnel at seven stations.

“As a progressive 18-year fire service member coupled with municipal finance and budget experience, I possess the required skill set to lead the Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District,” D’Angelo wrote in his cover letter.

In November 2003 he began work for the North Naples Fire Control and Rescue District as a fire inspector. He was promoted to lieutenant fire inspector and then deputy chief of fire prevention and support services before assuming his current position.

Prior to working for the Naples district, D’Angelo was a safety, health and environmental officer for the city of Cape Coral, management budget analyst for Cape Coral, a firefighter/EMT for Cape Coral and a firefighter/EMT for the city of Franklin, Tennessee.

He has a master’s degree in public administration from Florida Gulf Coast University and a bachelor’s in business administration from Florida International University. D’Angelo is a Ph.D. student in the public administration program at Florida International University.

He has been an adjunct professor at Edison College and lecturer at the Southeastern Conference of Public Administration.

He is the Naples fire district grant writer and grant project coordinator.

The Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District has 38 employees and two fire stations. The district covers the municipalities of Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, and Indian Shores and an area of the unincorporated mainland.